Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mark Downie @poppastring.com · 16h

Fountain of Youth on #AppleTV was a real dud, as in, even Stanley Tucci was powerless to save it.

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Reposted by Mark Downie

Author Myron J. Clifton @deardean22.bsky.social · 22h

This lady rates work potluck offerings lolol

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Reposted by Mark Downie

Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 1d

If I could offer students one bit of…advice: be brutally traditional about what is printed on your degree.

If you are first-gen or in any way non traditional, this goes double. Let rich kids get degrees in AI. You get something called “English”.

Casmilus @casmilus.bsky.social · 1d

The danger is that degrees are regarded as worthless as nobody believes students have acquired any skills any more, at least not ones they couldn't have hot from just going into an office job from school.

Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 1d

In about three years the entire university pivot to AI curricula and schools and programs is going to be so deeply embarrassing. We will all pretend it never happened and I will be standing there, looking at people with a mirror in my eyes. This is all so embarrassing.

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Mark Downie @poppastring.com · 1d

Skills > MCP? I am starting to think so.

MCP is a full-blown protocol.
Skills? *Just* a folder of markdown + scripts.
Simple. Shareable. Composable.

www.anthropic.com/engineering/...

Equipping agents for the real world with Agent Skills

Discover how Anthropic builds AI agents with practical capabilities through modular skills, enabling them to handle complex real-world tasks more effectively and reliably.

www.anthropic.com

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Mark Downie @poppastring.com · 1d

The History Channel does not actually have that much history programming 👀

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Mark Downie @poppastring.com · 2d

I had never rewatched Sixth Sense before because I assumed the twist at the end was the only interesting thing but the story is told so incredibly well.

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Reposted by Mark Downie

Microsoft Dev Docs @microsoftdevdocs.bsky.social · 2d

PowerToys 0.95 is here: new Light Switch utility, faster Command Palette, and Peek with Spacebar!

msft.it/63324s4FVo

PowerToys 0.95 is here: new Light Switch utility, faster Command Palette, and Peek with Spacebar

New month, new release! This one’s packed with quality-of-life improvements, performance boosts, and a bunch of long-standing community requests finally checked off the list — all while keeping the focus on fundamentals like speed and reliability! Get the update by checking for updates in PowerToys or heading to the release page. Let’s dive in! 🆕 […]

msft.it

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Mark Downie @poppastring.com · 2d

Apple is offering a $2M bounty for a zero-click exploit. 💲💵💸

"Top rewards in all categories apply only for issues affecting the latest publicly available software and hardware."

security.apple.com/blog/apple-s...

A major evolution of Apple Security Bounty, with the industry's top awards for the most advanced research - Apple Security Research

Today we’re announcing the next major chapter for Apple Security Bounty, featuring the industry’s highest rewards — up to $2 million and a maximum payout in excess of $5 million — expanded research…

security.apple.com

Reposted by Mark Downie

Chuck D @chuckdpe.bsky.social · 3d

Rest In Soul D #d’angelo

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Reposted by Mark Downie

Andy Leonard @andyleonard.bsky.social · 2d

"It’s cool to see SSIS support continues for the many Microsoft customers still using the platform for data integration." - from my latest blog post titled "Add the SSIS Extension to Visual Studio 2026 Insiders." Read more at andyleonard.blog/2025/10/add-.... #SSIS #VS2026

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Mark Downie @poppastring.com · 2d

A post from the archive 📫:
Easily navigate code delegates

https://www.poppastring.com/blog/easily-navigate-code-delegates
#c# #debugging #dotnet #visualstudio

Reposted by Mark Downie

Sedat Kapanoğlu @ssg.dev · 3d

it's been a while since a new visual studio version felt faster than the older, probably not since visual studio 2013. visual studio 2026 feels snappier for a change.

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Mark Downie @poppastring.com · 4d

Central Ohio invests $50K to join the Midwest passenger rail push, capping a decade of planning and signaling strong local support for connecting Columbus to the national network.
#OhioRail #PassengerRai

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Reposted by Mark Downie

Brian Groom @groomb.bsky.social · 5d

Lady Feeding The Pigeons, painting by Salford-born Bob Richardson (b.1938). #NorthernArt

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Reposted by Mark Downie

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 7d

Military families on day 9 of the shutdown lining up at the food bank

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Reposted by Mark Downie

Austin Standing @acstanding.bsky.social · 6d

Check out Midnight Deep marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemNa...

Midnight Deep Theme - Visual Studio Marketplace

Extension for Visual Studio - Midnight Deep is an original dark theme for Visual Studio 2019, 2022, and 2026.

marketplace.visualstudio.com

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Reposted by Mark Downie

Austin Standing @acstanding.bsky.social · 6d

Check out Midnight Lights marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemNa...

Midnight Lights Theme - Visual Studio Marketplace

Extension for Visual Studio - Midnight Lights is an original dark theme for Visual Studio 2019, 2022, and 2026.

marketplace.visualstudio.com

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Reposted by Mark Downie

Austin Standing @acstanding.bsky.social · 6d

I’m excited to share that my themes now support Visual Studio 2026! Initial support out now and I’ll make another quality pass closer to launch.

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Mark Downie @poppastring.com · 6d

A post from the archive 📫:
Divine right of founders

https://www.poppastring.com/blog/divine-right-of-founders
#musings

Mark Downie @poppastring.com · 7d

Miss A'ja Wilson with 31-9-4 (2 steals and 3 blocks)!!!

Congrats to the @lvaces.bsky.social with the sweep over Phoenix #wnba #dynasty

Great season of basketball!

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Mark Downie @poppastring.com · 7d

I am not sure I have seen a coach ejected in the finals before. #wnba

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Mark Downie @poppastring.com · 7d

I have been using Optic Cables for my TV audio for years. Why did no one tell me about eArc (Enhanced Audio Return Channel)?

It is a revelation!

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Reposted by Mark Downie

Sedat Kapanoğlu @ssg.dev · 8d

visual studio 2026 insider edition includes code coverage tools in its community edition. bad news for ncrunch and others, but great news for OSS devs. (also, a great way to upsell AI)

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Cynthia Dunlop @cynthiadunlop.bsky.social · 11d

And one by the afterword author, @scott.hanselman.com, with @poppastring.com hanselminutes.com/981/blogging...

Blogging for Developers with Mark Downie

Mark Downie has been blogging about technical topics for years, and also is the primary maintainer of the DasBlog-Core blogging engine. He talks with Scott about writing technical blogs that get read....

hanselminutes.com

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Visual Studio @visualstudio.com · 9d

⚡ TypeScript 7 is now in native preview for Visual Studio 2026 Insiders!
Faster builds, lower memory use, and snappier IDE features.
Feels like trading your dev bike for a rocket.
Read more: msft.it/63325salZB
#TypeScript #VisualStudio2026

screen capture of activating typescript in Visual Studio 2026 Insiders.
text reads: blog.read
How to use TypeScript native preview in Visual Studio 2026
LEarn more.

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